


Uhmuni's Stepping Stones I: My Writing Guide

by Uhmuni, VeridisQuo



Series: Uhmuni's Stepping Stones For A Better AO3 [1]
Category: Original Work, Uhmuni
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uhmuni/pseuds/Uhmuni, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeridisQuo/pseuds/VeridisQuo
Series: Uhmuni's Stepping Stones For A Better AO3 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184906





	1. Writing Guide: Information and Facts

Ten Stages of Production:

  * [Pre-plan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73089399)
  * [Theorize and Share](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73099098#workskin)
  * [Brainstorm and Pre-Write](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73103589#workskin)
  * [Being A Team Player](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73108659#workskin)
  * [Post-write and Finalize](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73109184#workskin)
  * [Commenting and Feedback](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715357/chapters/73111215)




	2. Stages of Production and How To Use Them I: Pre-Planning

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?

 **Note:** You should always come into writing with an idea when drafting a story. This stage is easy to forget even though it’s the most important. When thinking of what to write about, remember to do your W5H1 – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

  1. **What, When, and Where [These should correspond with one another] –**
    1. **What** is the story about? or **What** are you thinking of writing about?
    2. **What** is the end goal? (What should happen by the end of the story?)
    3. **When** is the story taking place? (Set a specific month and timeframe)
    4. **Where** is the story taking place? (Set a specific place)
  2. **Who, Why and How [These should correspond with one another] –**
    1. **Who** is the story focused around? (If multiple, list them all and their roles.)
    2. **How** will _who_ accomplish their _what_?
    3. **Why** is _who_ trying to accomplish _what_?
    4. **How** long will it take _who_ to accomplish _what_?
    5. **How** long is/will the story be? **How** many hours or days will you be skipping per chapter?



Breaking It Down

  * **What is the story about?** **or What are you thinking of writing about?**



This question is relevant to you and your co-authors [given that you have any].

 **Ask yourself these two questions _before_ trying to form an introduction. **If you're drafting a story without a purpose, then it isn't a story, no matter how good it is.

  * **What is the end goal? (What should happen by the end of the story?)**



Another important question that's relevant to you and your co-authors [given that you have any.]

Where is the story going? What's is the character trying to get to, get done, or get over? What does getting this certain thing, getting it done, or getting it over with do for them and/or the story overall? How does it change the pace of the book? **You should be able to answer all of these questions while working out your draft.**

  * **When is the story taking place? (Set a specific month and timeframe)**



Having a timeframe not only helps pace the story, it helps you pace _yourself._ Setting this time will allow you to expand on your world building. You can also use this to your advantage when writing out a chapter.

**No Depth Example 1:**

Tae put on his coat and stepped outside.

**In depth Example 1:**

Tae makes a run for the front door not two minutes after stepping into the snow. The bite of the air was nipping him even with Jungkook as his temporary shield on their way out. To anyone else, that would’ve been a sign to grab a jacket... 

  * **Where is the story taking place? (Set a specific place)**



As with the third point, having a relevant _location_ will also make world building a hell of a lot easier to accomplish. You don’t have to describe to a T everything in the surrounding, but describe enough for the reader to get a clear visual of where your character or the current storyline is.

**No depth Example 2:**

The blue paint had been replaced with a jet-black paint.

**In-depth Example 2:**

Jungkook glances around his refurnished living room with awe. The blue has been stripped from the walls in its entirety and replaced with an – almost glossy – black finish, which he can admit compliments the white furniture well. The older light fixtures have been taken down and he can just make out the thicker nails that’ll be u…

  * **Whose perspective is this story told from? (If multiple, list them all and their roles.)**



If you're planning to have more than one perspective like I, make sure you give one or two characters the higher ground when typing out chapters. For this newer version of FATE that will be reuploaded for the, what, fifth time in the past two-odd years?

_I need to get it together…_

_seriously that just doesn’t make any sense..._

Anyway. For the newer version of FATE, **Jungkook is the main focus**. This means that every other chapter - or so - will be from his POV. Even while giving his point of view, however, I can open up the world around him by bringing in dialogue and showing how he reacts to certain characters.

This point correlates (kinda) to your **_what._**

**_If you wanna learn how to build a world without much dialogue, please seek an answer from Andrea ([VQ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/veridisquo)). My AU is dialogue-based and will always be. She’s better at monologuing._ **

  * **How will who accomplish their what? Or How is what accomplished?**



Answering this might be very tricky depending on your _**what**_. This question can be asked several different ways, including:

**\- How can…**

**\- How should…**

**\- How will…**

**\- How is…**

**\- How does…**

Using the newer FATE - I hate this name now - as an example, this **_how_** might be asked like this:

**How will Jungkook’s feelings for Tae change after finding out the truth of their relationship?**

  * **Why is who trying to do what? Or Why is who doing what?**



The answer for this might also depend on your **_what._**

**For the rest of this guide,**

**please assume that everything depends**

**on what you're planning to write about.**

As with its counterpart, **_how_** _,_ this also has multiple ways to be asked, such as:

\- **Why…**

\- **Why is…**

\- **Why does…**

\- **Why are…**

\- **Why will…**

Example Using an Off-Top Storyline

* Always repeat the question in your answer.

  1. **What** is the story about? or **What** topic are you thinking of writing on? 
    * **[The story is about] 22- year old Omega Kim Taehyung trying his best to find an Alpha before he’s married off.**
    * **I’m thinking about writing on the journey Tae has to take to find his husband.**
  2. **What** is the end goal? (What should happen by the end of the story?) 
    * **[The end goal is] for Taehyung to somehow convince Jungkook to marry him.**
  3. **When** is the story taking place? (Put all start dates and end dates.) 
    * **[The story takes place] during the week of April 17, 2011 (April 17 – 23)**
    * **[The second half takes place] during the week of April 24, 2011 (April 24 – 30)**
  4. **Where** is the story taking place? (List all areas you _think_ will be or you want visited.) 
    * **The story takes place (mainly) in Seoul, South Korea.**
  5. **Who** is the story focused around? (The story will be told from the POV of these MCs.) 
    * **Omega Taehyung (protagonist)**
    * **Alpha Jungkook (protagonist)**
    * **Alpha Richard (Antagonist/Taehyung’s buyer)**
  6. **How** will _who_ accomplish their _what_? 
    * **Tae will accomplish finding an Alpha by signing up and searching on a dating app for local Alphas and Omegas. After finding his Alpha on the dating app, he’ll convince him to (pretend) marry him.**
  7. **Why** is _who_ trying to accomplish _what_? 
    * **Tae is trying to accomplish finding a husband because he doesn’t want to be married off.**
  8. **How** long will it take _who_ to accomplish _what_? 
    * **It will take Taehyung two weeks total to find an Alpha and convince the Alpha to marry him.**
  9. **How** long is/will the story be? **How** many hours or days will you be skipping per chapter? 
    * **The story will not be long.**
    * **I will be skipping two days per chapter.**




	3. Stages of Production and How To Use Them II & III: Theorizing and Sharing

**Being the Reader vs Being the Author (Ways of Seeing)**

It's easy to fly through a story without taking into consideration how your audience will perceive the information given. I'm prone to this (sorry), which is why I type everything out in long - but easier to understand - guides. As the author, and because you did stage one, you know exactly where you're going and (hopefully) how you're going to get there. This isn't the case for your audience... unless you share the process with them.

I have two close friends who I, more or less, run every idea through before even attempting to get it down on a document. Most of, if not the majority, of the stories I have planned and in progress they know about, from the very beginning to how it's supposed to end. I theorize with them from an author's POV and ask for feedback from them as a reader. This is ~~probably~~ the _easiest_ way ever to go about getting through this stage.

You **have** to see your story from an audience's POV in order to **successfully** convey your story. Log out of AO3 after updating if you have to, and read the story through and through without taking into consideration how many words you misspelled or how many grammatical errors there are (note it mentally and save it for the editing stage). Send the entire thing to your co-author/s so they can read it as well, and ask for feedback from them as both an author who understands the plot and where it's going and a reader who only knows what you're telling them.

_**If you don't have someone to share ideas with, my DM is always open. (:**_

**Sharing Your Ideas... Without Them Being Stolen**

Knowing **who** to share your ideas with is important. Please be weary of those who want to 'collab' with you just to take your ideas for their own. For whatever reason, people just adore being in the spotlight when it comes to being an author on AO3 (I had to take down the rest of Beginning Our Forever due to someone taking and reuploading it on here as their own.)

I really cannot stress this enough. Choose. Your. Co-Authors. **WISELY**. As an author, your writing is your art. Protect it as such.

After you do find someone to share your ideas with, make sure that you're both caught up or familiar with the plot and where the plot is - or supposed to be - going. It's okay to have two different ideas (that's where the theorizing comes in), but be sure to play it home that the end goal should be **met** regardless of how they get there.

As well as making the sure the end goal is met, make sure that you and your co-author are comfortable enough to have debates and discussions about what is shared. Tension and disagreements make for sloppy work, and that's not the goal for working on a story together.

There's a million ways to do everything. As well, there's a million reasons as to why something has the possibility of being done. Try to keep these millions of ways in mind when you're writing and sharing. It sounds like a lot, but I promise it isn't. The great thing about having a friend to share ideas with is that they'll almost always see the same situation a different way.

I personally have a lot of self-doubt when it comes to writing out certain chapters or storylines. And it's okay if you doubt yourself. **Self-doubt is a part of self-growth.**

My doubt comes from there being more than one way to get the same outcome and more than two of those ways seeming better than the way I'm choosing to go. When you're like me and can't make up your mind, having a friend to decide for you helps an absolute **ton**.

_**Just to further justify that I am not somehow magically yanking all of this out of my ass** _

__


	4. Stages of Production and How To Use Them IV & V: Brainstorming & Pre-writing

**Getting Your Ideas Out and How**

With all of your pre-planning, theorizing, and idea sharing complete, you're ready to start getting your ideas out onto a word doc. This, of course, is easier said than done. How do you go about drafting your first paragraph? Hell, how do you go about drafting your first _sentence_?

First and foremost, try to keep a consistent word count when typing out chapters. For me now, 3000-4000 is my limit. It was previously 2000, but I started getting more comfortable with the ideas I had and decided to expand.

Please though.... work at your level of comfort.

If I'm cutting a chapter in half, I try to do 1500-2000 words for each half. If it goes over, then double it until you hit (number * 2). _i.e, if i type out 1326 words, I'll keep typing until I reach 2652 words._ You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but it really does help with keeping your chapters relatively consistent.

What I also do, if it isn't obvious, is try to keep 3-4 sentences to each paragraph. I don't really care to space out the conversations unless it's a needed break. The way I write dialogue, for those who need it, goes as followed.

**_This example is an excerpt from Book 2 of FATE._ **

“What was I saying?” ***Tae asking Yugyeom to recollect his thoughts to him so he can continue their conversation***

He removes the eggs from the heat a minute later and sets them aside to cool. **[world building/filler]**

“Grilled cheese or toast?” ***Tae asking Yugyeom if he wants a grilled cheese sandwich or toast***

“Cheese,” Yugyeom answers. “You were bragging about how sexy you are.” ***From "cheese" to "are" is Yugyeom's response to Tae's two questions.***

Tae lays strips of bacon in the pan with a grin slicing his face and lets the food cook to Yugyeom’s liking, firm but still chewy. **[world building/filler]**  
  
“I don’t think I'm sexy,”he admits, sandwiching monterey jack, swiss, and cheddar cheese slices together between two pieces of bread. “I don’t think I’m anything, really. Just…Tae.” ***Tae hears Yugyeom's answer and picks up the conversation where he's told they left off.***

“I’d be getting off to pictures of myself everyday if I looked like you. How are you not constantly hard, I don’t understand?” ***Yugyeom's response to Tae's statement***

“Child, I am cooking. Please don’t talk like that.” ***Tae's retort to Yugyeom's vulgar statement.***

* * *

Although I cut them off to give emphasis to what they're doing, in the space of their world at that current moment, **everything is spoken as one thought.**

**If you're having trouble putting yourself in their shoes, try reading it like this.**

**Tae:** What was I saying? Grilled cheese or toast?

 **Yugyeom:** Cheese. you were bragging about how sexy you are.

 **Tae:** I don’t think I’m sexy. I don’t think I’m anything, really. Just…Tae.

 **Yugyeom:** I'd be getting off to pictures of myself everyday if I looked like you. How are you not constantly hard, I don’t understand?

 **Tae:** Child, I am cooking. Please don’t talk like that.

**The Idea Behind Good Conversation**

For good conversation, it should be cut off by the author here and there... instead of letting the character ramble. Follow the sentence structures offered below if you struggle with narrative inserts. **Note: if character is asking a question, start from [2 dialogue, then shuffle to the beginning. Example will be below.]**

1\. "[1 Dialogue]," s/he said, **[active noun *ends in -ing* that emphasizes what the character is doing**. **]** "[Continued Dialogue From 1]." "[2 Dialogue]." **[Depict if 2 responds in-world to 1's actions.]** "[2 Dialogue]". [Worldbuilding/Filler]. [New Series of Dialogue/Repeat from 1 or 2.]

**Example:**

"Fight me," he said, clenching his hands into hard fists. "Unless you're scared." "I'm not." Tae fixes his sweater around the collar of his neck and adjusts his feet on the rug. "Come at me." He gets lower, stationing himself until Jungkook is in arm's reach. The two of them throw harmless jabs at each other and, quite deftly, block the Other from striking.

2\. **[Continued worldbuilding/filler]** "[1/Question]" "[2 Dialogue/Answer]." he answers. **[worldbuilder/filler].** "[Continued Dialogue from 2]." "[1 Dialogue]."

**Example:**

Tae eventually wrestles Jungkook to the carpet and pins him by his waist. "Am I getting better?" "Your guard could use a little work," Jungkook answers. He fans himself with his shirt before taking it off, throwing it aside, and resting back to the plush under his head. "But other than that, you're doing well. Good job, babe." "Thank you, Alpha."

**All of it together:**

"Fight me," he said, clenching his hands into hard fists. "Unless you're scared." "I'm not." Tae fixes his sweater around the collar of his neck and adjusts his feet on the rug. "Come at me." He gets lower, stationing himself until Jungkook is in arm's reach. The two of them throw harmless jabs at each other and, quite deftly, block the Other from striking.

Tae eventually wrestles Jungkook to the carpet and pins him by his waist. "Am I getting better?" "Your guard could use a little work," Jungkook answers. He fans himself with his shirt before taking it off, throwing it aside, and resting back to the plush of the carpet. "But other than that, you're doing well. Good job, babe." "Thank you, Alpha."

* * *

**Sidenote:** I know for a lot, English isn't your first language, and for some you just want to write well or better. Please please _please_ don't be afraid to ask or assign a co-author, be it someone from AO3 or a friend who knows about what you're working on. An extra set of eyes can always be used to spell-check, add, or take away whenever you don't have time. BTS is a good example of **team work makes the dream work**. Ground rules can be set in place to what can be touched and what can't be, it doesn't always have to be a one man show. If you're planning to go back and do all of this, like i am, sometime eventually in the future on a planet far far away...then ignore this. 


	5. Stages of Production and How To Use Them VI: Being a Team Player

**Teamwork Will Make The Dream Work**

This entails doing your part _regardless_ of whether your co-author is doing theirs. Don't be afraid to let your co-author/s know if you're having a bad writer's block or are just simply unmotivated to write (I've been there.)

With any story comes the dreaded writer's block. I've been through one recently and yes...it was awful. It's like no matter which way you go with your plot, you end up not satisfied, doubting if it's good, and debating on whether you should just skip it all together. Every writer has them and it's okay to get them.

One way that I've broken my writer's block, and will continue to break future blocks, is by working on something else.

You:

I know. I thought it was crazy too. But sometimes, you have to wander a bit in order to get back to where you should be. Walk a square instead of a circle, so to speak. Focusing too much or too hard on one thing makes you overthink.

Then you start to doubt if you can do.

Then your task becomes difficult to get done.

Allow yourself to be distracted, no matter what kind of work you're working on. You _have_ to come down off of that stress-related high before trying to sit down and think about the 5 W's in stage one. If anything, if you need help setting a mood or ambiance, especially for sex chapters, try turning on music. And yes, if you're going to be listening to music, you have to have an open mind about what you're listening to.

I'm a strictly R&B kinda lady myself. Those who know me know I'll sell my soul for Jahkoy.

**_I love him so much. King deserves all the love and recognition._ **

Even with my bias for everything slow and smooth, there have been days when I've found myself listening to Nickelback, Three Days Grace, and Miley Cyrus (of ALL people). You bet your dollar the ideas were idea-ing when I was jamming Party in The USA though.

And don't be scared to type more than what you're asked for. If you're not sure whether your co-author is - or will be - contributing, then it's better to have **your** story already in full swing than trying to come up with something on the spot prior to a deadline (if a deadline is set.) If you're able to actively communicate with your co-author, then that's fine as well. Still, though. Don't let your good ideas go to waste simply because they're not being used in one story.

There's nothing wrong with using an idea from one story and expanding it into a story of its own. Just be sure that your co-author is okay and in compliance with you using the idea to formulate your own AU. 


	6. Stages of Production and How To Use Them VII and VIII: Post-writing and Finalizing

**Last Little Looks**

You've gotten through your five W's. You've brainstormed and typed out your ideas. You've double checked with your co-author that what you're doing and where you're going with your storyline is okay. What now...?

After you're able to answer your W's, working out your first chapter should be a little easier. If not, just keep in mind that you don't have to go directly into your **_what._** Take your time and build up to it if that's what makes the process smoother.

The chapters that don't follow closely to the plot is what I call **filler chapters.** These should be used for world building, or your **_when_** and **_where._**

I'll be the first to say it... _yes,_ you **can** have too much filler.

Filler is just that...a chapter or two that takes up an amount of your work for when you

**Don't have an idea of where you wanna go with your _what._**

or

**Want to build up your world so you can _have_ somewhere to go with your _what._**

It's up to you to use it. If you have, need, or want to use it, try not to use it so _generously._ Once you start with a side plot, finish it and get back to your purpose with haste.

With all of that out of the way, and your first draft now finished, it's time to get the post-writing complete and do some hard editing. This editing includes making sure you've spelled everything correctly and your sentences aren't entirely grammatically incorrect. I know it's not hard to get into the flow of just typing and getting your ideas out as you go, but trust me... not everyone reads the way you do.

Read your story aloud (or mentally if you can). If you're breathless after reading one sentence, then that sentence is far too long. If you don't want to trash it completely, then at least chop it into two sentences.

After checking for spelling and grammar errors, make sure you've reached your set word limit. **It's better to be a few words over this limit than a few words under** , and the hard editing will, more or less, add in and take away certain words and phrases to help you achieve your goal.

After you've checked over your story, read it in whole and make sure it flows with itself. **This ties into the "theorizing" aspect of being an author.**

When all that's done, you're pretty much ready to go! The one thing a lot of people do when they come to upload on AO3 that they don't _realize_ they're doing... is forgetting to **switch the editor from HTML to Rich Text.** Transferring any kind of text that isn't directly typed as <p align="center">Text_Here</p> should be pasted in the **Rich Text** of the AO3 editor.

**This prevents your story from jumbling all over itself and becoming a mass of words that have no true definition or depth.**

_**I have an entirely different guide for using this crap editor that I'll be putting up later.** _

Be sure to click the Rich Text tab in the top right corner of the editor before you paste your story, or you'll be sitting there for the next twenty minutes spacing what needs to be spaced, bolding what needs to be bolded, and underlining what needs to be underlined.


	7. Stages of Production and How To Use Them IX and X: Commenting and Feedback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betcha saw this one coming.

**Getting Some Answers**

It's very easy to get being constructive and being destructive confused when it comes to offering feedback. Being helpful and offering constructive criticism in areas where you believe your co-author - or your author (if you're a reader) is lacking should be done in exactly that way - HELPFUL. It's a LOT easier for an author to help you with a question when you present your point or your concern as a QUESTION.

Expressing your anger or hate for a certain person/behavior/action/plot is fine, but if you want answers, then **ask a question**. For the sake and sanity of the author you're thinking of interacting with, _please_ ask a question. Speak your mind, that's cool, but if you want clarification, then asking a question will get it for you.

In case you're one of the problematic few and don't know the difference, here's an example:

**Constructive: "GO JUNGKOOK BEAT HIS ASS 😡😡 WHAT IS HOESUCKS PROBLEM, WHY IS HE SO OBSESSED OVER TAE FOR?!?!?!!" (This not only expresses hate for a character, it asks a question clear enough for me to properly answer.)**

**Destructive: "Jungkook is SO fucking STUPID! He should be UPSTAIRS getting TAE and NOT downstairs fighting like that's going to solve anything. IT'S NOT. WHAT A DUMBASS." (Matter of opinion, pointlessly negative, and no clear way to go about answering. I'll leave comments like this unread and eventually delete them.)**

Now, with all that said, I'd like to stress the importance of **interacting with your authors**. We love reading your comments. We love getting your perception of the ideas we thought we had planned out in its entirety. Part - if not all - of the reason some of us even upload is to interact with you as a reader lmao, myself included.

I wouldn't be writing on here if it weren't.

Truth be told, I wouldn't be putting this or FATE back up either if so many people weren't asking for it to come back (thanks though, that's means a lot to me. I'm glad you all loved reading it as much as I loved writing it.)

As well as sharing what you liked (or didn't like) about the story, please be mindful of asking for updates. 

I, like many authors, have a life outside of AO3. Some days, I'm too busy to even think about these stories. Other days, I just don't feel like sitting down and opening Word. More often that not, I have writer's block, and I'm sitting around typing one-shots to help myself out of it. I know we can **all** understand this. Or at least, I _hope_ we can.

When I have downtime, and when I have an idea of how I want to take a certain storyline, is when I try to push out more than two chapters. FATE, and all of my books, will be the epitome of slowburn.

Seriously... Don't rush yourself with my books. I can guarantee you won't miss anything.

I covered uploading in the last chapter, so I don't think I need to go over it here. I wouldn't say you need a schedule for uploading, I surely don't have one. You can't put a time limit on creativity, so take as long as you need if you're working on a story. 

Don't take a whole year though... shit like that just doesn't make sense.

Oh and don't do what I do and constantly delete just to reupload.

* * *

This is pretty much it for my writing guide. I hope this was somewhat helpful to those who write and are thinking of getting into writing. I've been typing this shit since 3 PM (and it's 9) now, so I won't drag it out any longer.

**Have a question?**

Shoot me an [email](mailto:95ljiminpark@gmail.com) or DM me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/uhmuni).


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